Invasive Alien Plants and Invasion Risk Assessment on Pingtan Island

Pingtan Island is the largest island in Fujian Province and the fifth largest island in China. The invasion of a large number of alien plants has had a profound impact on the local ecological environment. Because the harm caused by alien invasive plants varies greatly between different ecosystems and even in different habitats, the risk assessment index system suitable for one region may not be suitable for other regions. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a risk assessment index system for invasive alien plants on Pingtan Island. Alien plant communities in different habitats were studied by means of quadrat investigation and professional literature review. Some invasive alien species were selected and compiled into a list of invasive alien plants on Pingtan Island, and their species composition, origin, flora, life forms, and habitats were statistically grouped. There were 104 species in 80 genera and 37 families of alien invasive plants. Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Poaceae were the main families, accounting for 26.7%, 6.7%, 6.7% and 5.8% of the total species, respectively. The geographical components of families and genera have obvious tropical properties, accounting for 51.3% and 66.6% of the total species, respectively. These originated mainly from South America and North America, accounting for 45.5% and 30.1% of the total frequency, respectively. Annual herbs, biennial herbs, and perennial herbs accounted for 84.6% of the total species. Based on a DPSIR conceptual model and an AHP method, an invasion risk assessment of 104 invasive alien plants was conducted. The ecological adaptability, habitat distribution and landscape impact of species were considered in the selection of indicators and the formulation of standards. A total of 23 high-risk invasive species were identified at level I, 37 medium-risk invasive species at level II, and 44 low-risk invasive species at level III. Lantana camara L. had the highest risk score (49), followed by Cenchrus echinatus L. (45), Spartina alterniflora Loisel. (45), and Panicum repens L. (43.5). Suggestions are put forward to prevent the invasion of alien plants on Pingtan Island and to provide a theoretical basis for promoting the healthy and stable development of the ecological environment on the island.

Detection Rate of Bird Species and What It Depends on: Tips for Field Surveys

Bird counting inevitably suffers from imperfect detection, which varies across species, habitats, period of the day, and seasons. Although various modeling techniques have recently been developed to account for this phenomenon, the biological basis of natural variation in detection remains insufficiently known. This study examined the bird species’ detection rate throughout the day, considering their body mass and diet type, concerning the environment and weather characteristics. Species detection rates were significantly affected by the number of individuals of that species but were unrelated to body mass. Overall, species with the highest detection rate were Corn bunting, Blackbird, European robin, House sparrow and Common chiffchaff. Granivores-insectivores and insectivores showed significant differences in detection rates throughout the day among habitats, with higher detection rates in grasslands during the afternoon. Insectivores showed higher detection rates in farmland during midday (warmest time of the day). Granivores, omnivores and scavengers did not show changes in detection rates in different day periods. Such patterns in daily detection rates were significant even when considering abundance and total species richness in each community. Finally, cloudiness was unrelated to the overall detection rate of birds, while temperature and wind affected detection rates in some guilds. Our findings provide some advice for choosing a suitable ornithological sampling method by considering the avian communities composition in combination with the type of environment, the diet of bird species, and the period of the day.

Multiplex PCR reveals unique trends in pathogen and parasitoid infestations of alfalfa leafcutting brood cells.

The alfalfa leafcutting bee Megachile rotundata Fabricius (HYMENOPTERA: Megachilidae) is an important pollinator for multiple agricultural seed commodities in the United States. Megachile rotundata is a solitary bee that forms brood cocoons where its larvae can develop. During the developmental stages of growth, broods can be preyed upon by multiple different fungal and bacterial pathogens and insect predators and parasitoids, resulting in the loss of the developing larvae. Larval loss is a major concern for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seed producers because they rely on pollinator services provided by Megachile rotundata and reduced pollination rates result in lower yields and increased production costs. In the present study, we examined the taxonomic composition of organisms found within M. rotundata brood cells using a multiplex PCR assay which was developed for the detection of the most common bacterial, fungal, and invertebrate pests and pathogens of M. rotundata larvae. Known pests of M. rotundata were detected, including members of the fungal genus Ascosphaera, the causative agent of chalkbrood. Co-infection of single brood cells by multiple Ascosphaera species was confirmed, with potential implications for chalkbrood disease management. The multiplex assay also identified DNA from more than 2,400 total species including multiple new predators and pathogenetic species not previously documented in associated with M. rotundata brood cells.

Vertebrate wildlife diversity of Sreepur upazila, Magura, Bangladesh

The species diversity and abundance of wildlife are the important indicators of a healthy ecosystem. A survey-based scientific study on species diversity, abundance and status of vertebrate wildlife was conducted from May 2015 to April 2016 at Sreepur upazila, Magura, Bangladesh. A total of 123 species of vertebrate wildlife was recorded during the 12 months of study period. Among them, eight species (6.5%) were amphibians, 13 (10.57%) reptiles, 84 (68.29%) birds and 18 species (14.64%) were mammals. Out of 84 species of birds, 45 (53.57%) were passerines and 39 (46.43%) non-passerines. Most of the observed birds (72 species, 85.72%) were resident and the rest 12 species (14.28%) were migratory. The highest number of wildlife species was observed in winter (108 species, 87.80%), particularly in December (62 species, 50.40%). The lowest number of species was recorded in June (33 species, 26.83%). Out of 123 species of vertebrate wildlife, three (2.44%) were very common, nine (7.32%) common, 26 (21.14%) fairly common and 85 (69.1%) were common. Of the total species, 117 (95.12%) species were least concern, five (4.06%) near threatened and one (0.81%) was endangered according to IUCN Bangladesh 2015. Implementation of conservation and management plan is required to save the wildlife in the study area. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2021, 7(1): 51-62

Analysis of the genus thymus of the southeastern part of the northern caucasus

The paper presents the analysis of the genus Thymus of the flora of the South-East of the North Caucasus. Revealed the total species, compiled an aspect of the genus Thymus, and conducted the analysis's bioecological, geographical composition. In the investigated territory, we have registered eight thymus species, distributed mainly in xerophilic types of vegetation: steppe, friganoid, alpine, meadow-steppe, and meadow societies.

The Status and Threats of Birds: A Case Study of Birds in Nayapul to Ghandruk Area, Kaski, Nepal

The purpose of this study is to quantify species diversity of birds in the study area and to explore the biotic and abiotic factors affecting the bird population. This study was carried out by using the fixed point counting method. The study area was situated in Annapurna Rural Municipality of Kaski district. A total of 147 bird species belonging to 46 families and 14 orders were identified in the study area. It was found that Muscicapidae was the largest family and Passeriformes the largest order. Among the reported species, 50% were residents, 31% were full-migrants, 18% were altitudinal migrants and the remaining were 1% nomadic. Habitats of birds included the forest 68%, the scrubland 17 %, the grassland 7% and the wetland 6 % of the study area. Similarly, the rocky area and artificial area covered 1% of the total species. The results showed that most of the bird species i.e. 136 were least concerned, 4 of them were nearly threatened, 3 of them were endangered, 3 were critically endangered and only one species was vulnerable. The most important threats included hunting and trapping, killing for fun, shift in crop production, use of insecticides and pesticides, improved storage devices, habitat destruction, developmental activities, tourism, buried carcasses and predatory.

Contemporizing island biogeography theory with anthropogenic drivers of species richness

Classic ecological theory must explain effects of humans on biodiversity to be more applicable today. We contemporized island biogeographic theory providing native, introduced, and total species richness relationship expectations with natural and anthropogenic metrics of habitat diversity (geographic and economic area) and isolation from source pools (geographic and economic isolation). We assessed these expectations across Caribbean island herpetofauna clades. As expected by the contemporized theory, natural habitat diversity metrics exhibited positive relationships with native and introduced richness, strengthening positive total richness-area relationships. Geographic isolation exhibited negative relationships with native and positive relationships with introduced richness, weakening total richness-isolation relationships. Economic area and isolation exhibited negative and positive relationships, respectively, with native richness but positive and negative relationships, respectively, with introduced richness. Total richness relationships with economic area and isolation were strongest in clades with many introductions. As more species spread globally, these contemporary expectations will increasingly predict Anthropocene island biogeography.

Updated records for Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera) and a new species of Thraulodes Ulmer, 1920 from Tocantins State, Northern Brazil

An annotated checklist with complementary information for leptophlebiid mayflies from Tocantins State, Brazil is provided. Additionally, we describe a new species of Thraulodes Ulmer, 1920 based on male adults. New reports are based on collections conducted between August 2017 and August 2019 in 13 localities of 10 municipalities. A total of 436 adults distributed in 11 genera, 16 species and five morphospecies treated as undescribed species were collected. Of the total species examined, 11 are new records.

Comparison of the Floristic Composition and Diversity of Two Wetlands in Ethiopian

The main purpose of this study was to determine and compare the floristic composition and diversity indices of Washa and Borale Wetlands, located in Central Ethiopian. As revealed in the result, 74 species belonging to 26 families, and 57 genera were identified. Asteraceae and Poaceae were the most dominant families contributing 24.56% and 14.04% to the total genera, and 20.27% and 16.22% to the total species identified, respectively. Of the total, about 92% plant species were herbs, whereas 1% was climber, the least one. The alpha diversity of the Washa and Borale wetlands were 51 and 64, respectively. The average richness of the Washa and Borale wetlands were 12.3 ±0.91, and 15.35 ± 0.89, respectively. Likewise, the Shannon diversity (H’) and evenness (E) of Washa and Borale sites were 2.24 and 0.87, and 2.67 and 0.97 respectively. Accordingly, based on their average values, the diversity, evenness and richness indices were higher in Borale than Washa sites, and showed significance difference between the two wetlands (P < 0.05). Likewise, in both sites, especially in Borale, the majority of the species were native, annual and upland, implying the suitability of the wetlands to these native, but to annual and upland invaders due to the ecological and hydrological modifications of the wetlands, and competitive exclusion of the native aquatic plants by upland annual plants. Generally, many of the wetlands’ species were annual and upland invaders. Hence, in-situ and ex-situ strategic plans are required for restoring the wetlands via giving priority.

THE ENTOMOPHYLIC FUNGI STUDY IN THE PRYMORYE (RUSSIAN FAR EAST)

After a long break, research on entomophylic fungi has been restarted in the Prymorye. Earlier surveys showed an exceptional species diversity of the territory - about 70 species. This is 20-25% of the total species number known in the world. This group of fungi is given unjustifiably little attention in our region. They significantly affect the dynamics of insect populations in the ecosystem. In addition, the use of compounds produced by entomophylic fungi in medicine is gaining increasing popularity. We studied 31 samples from the collection of entomophilic fungi of the Far Eastern Regional Herbarium (VLA). The analysis of the obtained data allowed us to clarify the distribution and diversity of entomophilic species in the Region. Data on the distribution of Cordyceps deflectens, C. militaris, C. takaomontana, Ophiocordyceps crinalis, O. nutans, O. sphecocephala, O. tricentri and O. variabilis have been clarified and supplemented. For O. tricentri data on the spectrum of host insects are expanded.